Re: United 93
 

What's the point in any movie about any real events?

Re: United 93
 

yeah yer right i guess. all i guess i can say to that is that it feels different than other 'real events' movies no?

Re: United 93
 

I've been thinking about this, about big screen dramatisations of real events, and what their ultimate purpose is. And you know, whether it's Titanic or Apollo 13 or even Munich and Schindlers List, people may not like to acknowledge it, but the purpose is ultimately (or at least largely) - entertainment.

Not necessarily entertainment in the Jim Carrey sense, but it's still deliberately allowing ourselves to indulge in the emotion and drama of an event.

It's easy to see how this could be interpreted as effectively implying that the real event needs dramatising and dressing up, an implication that would suggest its not sufficiently dramatic in the first place. It could well be that this is one reason why it's sitting uncomfortably for some (even if they can't quite pinpoint why).

Is it possible that there could be anything in this film that couldn't have been communicated in a documentary? If not, whether we like it or not, this is ultimately playing to our appetite for drama - we're intentionally stepping aboard an emotional rollercoaster because we want to go through with the ensuing ride.

The bottom line is, for 9/11, people don't need to do that to either get the facts or appreciate the horror - we're reminded over and over and over again, by the media, by politicians, by our friends and colleagues. It's still a very recent event and we all recall the horror, we know where to get the facts. Going to see this film is a conscious and unnecessary indulgence in drama, a form of entertainment.

I don't have any moral judgements to make about that, but it's just something I think a lot of people are in denial about. And I'd go further and suggest that for most people, it's the very same appetite for drama that increasingly drives the ratings-driven news outlets to up the ante on dramatising and emotionalising our news.

It probably says more about us than it does them.

(*If we're talking about documentaries, I think that's clearly different, it's about informing, uncovering, exposing, whatever.)

Re: United 93
 

(Apologies to Treatment regulars for my World-stylee post ;) )

Re: United 93
 

But I don't think it's necessarily true to reduce all such movies to the realm of "entertainment". Some are, certainly. Titanic definitely wasn't anything else.

But I think even Munich (and I would say Spielberg's work is almost entirely entertainment) was trying to get people talking about the validity of violence as a response to violence. There is plenty of room in examining real events for ...umm.... thought. Fuck this, I have work to do.

Re: United 93
 

Before this turns into a world type debate (thred), which i try to avoid, the problem with celuloid and moving image type media, is that its all entertainment, in a sense.

The actual real live events of 9/11 shown on TV screens would no doubt be classed as 'entertainment', (not in a nice sit down and enjoy way), but broadcast news is entertainment whichever way you look at it and whatever this film goes on to show or prove, it is that people will want to watch it...

Some to 'know' what happened, some to dismiss it as crass, and insensitve, and for others as just another film to see...

Is it any worse than the gloryfication of the events in newspapers the days after the event, or the endless programmes anaysing the events, or even TV shows like Rescue Me that have subplots that run off the back off 9/11...

You can't ignore the fact it happened and no one should forget or ever will, but trying to label one movie, even before we've all even seen it, isn't fair...yes it is made to entertain, but so are news programmes. Whats worse: seeing people falling out of buildings live on TV or a film made with the consent of the families who want to show how their loveones died in a way that the world will hopefully understand...

its a debate that will rage on, no doubt... and for some never is too soon, but before people decide on this ,movie, go see it and make up yer own minds...its out there now...we can't do much about it, except discuss and until its been seen there is not much to discuss.

Re: United 93
 

man...

fuck this movie.

they should change the end, have a dance party on flight, land the plane in disneyland, eat some ice cream, and have all of al-queda come for a picture with mickey mouse on which they'll swear they had the best time ever.

fucking movies always memorializing crap.

Re: United 93
 

After reading Deckard's post, an idea struck me about art. When I write a deeply personal story, or not even that put some paragraphs about something deeply personal, it is very cathartic for me, and certainly anyone who has dabbled in art knows what I mean. But not everyone is an artist, and perhaps--and I know I'm leaving myself open to be shat upon here--films of this sort will be cathartic for those non-artistic persons. I don't think this is intended to be entertainment, certainly not entertainment in any traditional form that we're used to. An emotional ride, sure, but I obviously can't say that this film is meant to be cathartic since I haven't seen it yet. But, who knows? It's a thought.

Re: United 93
 

Interesting to bring up the notion of catharsis. I came across this while reading Manohla Dargis review in the New York Times today:

"Sept. 11 has shaped our political discourse and even infiltrated our popular culture, though as usual Hollywood has been awfully late to that table. Yet five years after the fact and all the books, newspaper and magazine articles, committees and scandals later, I think we need something more from our film artists than another thrill ride and an emotional pummeling. "United 93" inspires pity and terror, no doubt. But catharsis? I'm still waiting for that."

link

Re: United 93
 

And, I win. You guys lose.

http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/united93

Christ, read some of those quotes. Very few movies score this well.